Firefighters share tasty spoils of Castro's winning Spurs bet

By Joshua Fechter :
June 18, 2013
: Updated: June 19, 2013 12:52am

Mayor Julián Castro dishes up ribs that he won in bets with the mayors of Oakland and Memphis, whose teams were defeated in the NBA playoffs by the Spurs.

Photo By Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News

Luke Schott brings out baby back ribs. Also on the menu were brisket, sausage, creamed corn and pecan pie.

Photo By Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News

Firefighters dig in. Castro shared the winnings to express gratitude for their work, which included several high-water rescues, during the recent flooding.

Photo By Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro serves up ribs won in a bet with Oakland and Memphis mayors ,whose teams were beaten by the Spurs, to share with members of Fire Station 11 on June 18, 2013.

Photo By Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro and Fire Chief Charles Hood dig in to ribs won in a bet with Oakland and Memphis mayors ,whose teams were beaten by the Spurs, to share with members of Fire Station 11 on June 19, 2013.

Brisket, sausage, creamed corn and pecan pie were among the spoils shared with local firefighters Tuesday, as Mayor Julián Castro cashed in on two winning Spurs bets.

Castro's wager with Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton Jr. earned him barbecue from Rendezvous, a Memphis restaurant renowned for its ribs, after the Spurs defeated the Grizzlies in the Western Conference finals.

Castro also placed a bet with Oakland Mayor Jean Quan for barbecue when the Spurs faced off against the Golden State Warriors during the second round of the playoffs.

Members of the Fire Department's 8th Battalion who worked to rescue flood-affected residents during the May 25 storms shared in the spread.

The mayor shared the winnings to express gratitude for their work, which included several high-water rescues, he said.

“We were trying to figure out how we could express that appreciation and thought the best way would be to share with you the spoils of the Spurs' victory over Oakland and Memphis,” Castro said after cutting a rack of ribs in the kitchen of Fire Station No. 11 on South Frio Street.

Engineer Bill Davidson was part of the team that attempted to save a 60-year-old woman whose car was swept off U.S. 90 into Leon Creek early May 25.

“We didn't save the lady,” Davidson said. “We almost lost it ourselves.”

Castro also made a wager with Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez for stone crabs from a Miami restaurant called Joe's Stone Crab.